To be clear, the Giants deserved a better fate than the one they got in Minnesota on Saturday. For most of the game, they were the better team. They out-gained the Vikings, both on the ground and in the air. Despite throwing only his first interception in the last five games, Daniel Jones was the better quarterback. Indeed, with a receiving corps that consisted of Richie James, Isaiah Hodgins, Darius Clayton and Daniel Bellinger, Jones still managed to complete 30 of 42 pass attempts for 334 yards. Imagine the stats he could've put up if he had Justin Jefferson to throw to.
But, alas, Jones did throw that pick, early in the 4th quarter with his team trailing 17-13. And while it didn't lead to any points by the Vikes, it nonetheless deprived the Jints of what surely would've been at the very least a field goal and quite possibly the go-ahead touchdown. Though it wasn't the only turnover of the game - Bellinger coughed up the ball at the Minnesota 39 early in the 2nd quarter, which led to a Vikings field goal - it proved to be the most costly.
Still, if you are a fan of this team, you had to be impressed with the resiliency you saw on that field. After a blocked punt led to a Vikings touchdown that ninety-nine times out of a hundred would've iced the game, the Giants drove 75 yards in 59 seconds to score a touchdown and two-point conversion that tied the score with just over two minutes remaining. Saquon Barkley capped off the possession with a 27 yard run on 4th and 2. In the end, a 61-yard field goal as time expired was the backbreaker. 27-24, Vikings. Like I said, they deserved a better fate.
But as cruel as the football gods were to the Giants in Minnesota, they are still in control of their own destiny. That's because the Lions (7-8), Seahawks (7-8) and Commanders (7-7-1) each lost as well. All the Giants have to do this Sunday is beat the Colts and they will make the postseason for the first time since 2016. It doesn't get any simpler than that. Win and in. If that slogan isn't plastered all over walls of the Giants locker room before the game, someone needs to be fired.
There will be no excuses for not winning. None! The Colts are a hapless team in the midst of a terrible season in which their head coach, Frank Reich, was fired and replaced by ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday, who clearly should've kept his day job. Their 4-9-1 record speaks for itself.
The Giants, on the other hand, at 8-6-1, have been one of the most overachieving and hardest working teams in the NFL this season. Only once have they lost a game in which they were favored going in: the Lions in week eleven, 31-18. And it's worth noting that Lions team is considerably better than the Colts team that will be limping into MetLife Stadium this Sunday.
Head coach Brian Daboll - who should be on the short list for coach of the year - will have his troops ready when they take the field in front of 82,000 screaming fans. Let's put it this way: If they bring the same level of intensity to this game that they showed in Minnesota on Saturday, Big Blue will punch its ticket to the playoffs.
Look, I know nothing is ever etched in stone. Let's not forget this is the same franchise that gave us "The Fumble" back in 1978. Anything is possible. But given what we've seen so far from this Giants team, they should be able to take care of business against the Colts. If they don't; if they squander this opportunity, it will be a very, very long off season - even for an organization that is in year one of yet another rebuild.
No comments:
Post a Comment